Missed a game last night? Wondering what the latest news around the NBA is this morning? The Morning Shootaround is here to try to meet those needs and keep you up on what’s happened around the league since the day turned.

Rondo seeking second opinion on ACL — A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports that Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who was found to have a torn ACL on Sunday, will meet with several other doctors — including the famed Dr. James Andrews — as well as players from other sports to get a second opinion on the severity and recovery process from his injury:

Duffy said the second opinion on Rondo’s knee will not be made for at least another four or five days in order to allow the swelling to go down.

In addition, Duffy said they are in the process of setting up meetings with other athletes who have had similar injuries.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is among those that Rondo’s camp hopes to speak with very soon.

Peterson suffered a torn left ACL and MCL injury on Christmas Eve in 2011, and was back on the field for the season opener in September – less than nine months after the injury.

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Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose suffered a torn left ACL injury during the first round of the playoffs against Philadelphia on April 28th last year, with his return likely to be shortly after the all-star break next month.

Duffy said Rondo’s trying to be as positive as he can about his injury.

“He’s distraught but he understands what he has to do,” Duffy said. “We have to have him channel all that energy into getting stronger and healthy as soon as possible.”

“I’m a competitor, I’m a guy that thinks I bring a lot to the table, and not being on the floor is something that I don’t like, I don’t appreciate,” Gasol said.

Gasol had seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 21 minutes as the Lakers built an 83-73 lead through the first three quarters.

“It’s a challenge,” Gasol said when asked about toeing the line and accepting D’Antoni’s decision so that he doesn’t take away from the team while still defending his personal ability. “We’re challenged every day, and I’m challenged every day to keep my calm and keep my peace and not let my emotions take over my words.”

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Speaking out after a win against the Hornets might seem like poor timing from Gasol, but even while begrudgingly accepting a bench role, he stated his desire to continue to play in crunch time.

“I think the finishing is more important (than starting),” Gasol said recently. “I think the best players should finish off games. That’s just the way it’s got to be. When the game is on the line, you want to be on the floor. That’s more important.”

It was the same sentiment that led Gasol to be upset Tuesday.

“It’s fun to win but when a team comes back on you the way the Hornets did tonight and you are not there as a high-quality player and as a competitor, it’s frustrating,” Gasol said.

Aldridge always happy to see Dallas — Not surprisingly, LaMarcus Aldridge‘s phone was blowing up after his game-winning turnaround shot to sink the Mavs last night. What’s interesting, as The Columbian’s Candace Buckner points out, is that the former prep and college standout from Texas seems to particularly enjoy tormenting his hometown team:

LaMarcus Aldridge, a Dallas native, saved his best to down his hometown team, hitting the game-winning jump shot as time expired for the Trail Blazers’ 106-104 victory.

With a well-executed inbounds play, a flick of the wrist and a perfect jump shot, the Blazers (23-22) shook off a large second-half deficit after the Mavericks pulled ahead by 21 points. So by the time Aldridge returned to the Blazers locker room, his phone had over 20 messages on it. Just a glance and he could tell that his mother, Georgia, was about to make his cell phone battery die.

“She’s watching (the game),” said Aldridge, who finished with a game-high 29 points and also contributed 13 rebounds. “She texted me like five or six times.”

The family celebrated, the 18,888 in the Rose Garden rejoiced and even Aldridge – who so often just describes this whole NBA thing as a “job” – beamed broadly as teammates bum rushed him near the Dallas bench.

“He was smiling like a rookie after his first NBA game,” Nicolas Batum said, describing Aldridge.

He seems to be happiest devastating the hometown team.

Last April at the American Airlines Arena, Aldridge carried the Blazers to the 99-97 victory over the Mavericks with a step-back jumper at the buzzer. Then, Terry Stotts watched from the other sideline as a Dallas assistant coach. Surely, from Stotts’ perspective, this Aldridge game-winner felt a bit better.

“People can think what they want to think, but LaMarcus, there’s no question in my mind that he’s an All-Star,” Stotts said. “He didn’t have to make that shot to prove he’s an All-Star. He proves it every night.”

He also happens to prove it whenever he plays against Dallas.

Aldridge scores 21.2 points per game against the Mavericks, according to basketball-reference.com and the figure ranks as second highest in his career against any NBA team. Through the last four games versus Dallas, Aldridge has averaged 26.7 points and 11 rebounds.

Oden wants back in NBA; Cavs next? — Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden is readying himself for an NBA return and the Heat and Cavs are reportedly on the top of his destination list. How likely is it he’ll be a Cav? Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer digs in:

Former Ohio State star Greg Oden is confident he will return to the NBA after his many knee injuries, but he would not venture a guess about whether he’ll wind up in Cleveland.

“I’m worried about the knee,” he told The Plain Dealer when asked if the Cavs could be a destination for him. “That’s it.”

Oden was in Columbus to take in the Buckeyes’ 58-49 victory over Wisconsin. He has been living in Columbus and taking classes, but he said now that he’s working out in his hometown of Indianapolis and splitting time between the cities.

Asked if he was playing at all, Oden said, “I’m just getting my knee ready so when things do happen I’ll be ready to play next year.

“I’m still in the rehab process, but I’m it taking slow. I could possibly be playing at this point, but I’ve done that before and I got injured before, so I’d rather take everything I am doing slow. Right now I’m just doing strength stuff with my knees.”

He said he was confident he would return to the NBA.

“I like how my knee is going, the way it’s going,” he said. “I still like the time I’m taking, just to make sure nothing happens. You can’t predict the future. But if it doesn’t happen, I’m happy.”

Stuckey, Frank mend fences — Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey and coach Lawrence Frank have had a touch-and-go relationship the last few days. But Terry Foster of the Detroit News reports that’s all behind both men now:

There’s peace again at The Palace. That’s if you believe Pistons coach Lawrence Frank and reserve guard Rodney Stuckey.

Frank ended the one-game benching of Stuckey in time for Tuesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Palace. But Stuckey was a non-factor during the Pistons’ 117-90 blowout loss to the Bucks at The Palace. He played 27 minutes and finished with just seven points.

Stuckey admitted the men clashed before the Pistons’ game Sunday in Orlando. Frank punished Stuckey by benching him for that game and refused to tell the media why. Frank was mostly close-mouthed again but he equated to a family squabble.

“Things happen every single day,” Frank said. “You deal with it and you move on. There are no grudges. Made a decision and we move on today. During the course of the season you are going to have a bunch of disagreements.”

Neither man would say what happened but it is believed they had a disagreement during practice.

Jazz corner market on youth?– The West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder often get a lot of credit for the way their youthful, lottery-picked duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook has helped them develop into a contender. But you’d likely be surprised to learn that the Thunder don’t have the most under-25 ex-lottery picks on their roster. According to Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News, that honor belongs to Utah:

Remember the NBA list of the 50 greatest players ever that came out about 15 years ago? Of those 50 players, all but a handful were top-10 selections and 32 of them were top-5 picks. Of the players who have played since that list came out, those that would be considered among the all-time greats — James, Duncan, Kevin Durant — most have been high draft picks.

That brings us to the Utah Jazz.

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While five teams have more total lottery picks on their rosters (New York has the most with nine, but four are 38 years or older), no team has more under the age of 25. And the Jazz has the most under the age of 22 with Gordon Hayward (22), Derrick Favors (21), Alec Burks (21) and Enes Kanter (20).

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One of the teams closest to the Jazz in terms of young, high lottery picks is Wednesday night’s opponent, New Orleans, which has three under the age of 22 in 19-year-old Anthony Davis, 20-year-old Austin Rivers and 22-year-old Al-Farouq Aminu.

Walton takes on mentoring role — Ex-Laker Luke Walton wasn’t sure what his role would be when he was traded to the Cavs at last season’s trade deadline. But it’s become clear that the one-time starter in L.A. is embracing his role as a coach of sorts for Cleveland’s young big men Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller, writes Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld.com:

“At the beginning of the year, the coaches [told] me, you got to [help Thompson and Zeller],” Walton said. “So I knew that was going to be part of my role this year whether it was while I was playing or while I was not playing. I had a lot of good vets that had taught me a lot about this game, so when I am out there playing with these young talented big guys, if I see something that they are doing or I see something that would be more effective for them during a timeout, I will let them know or if we are in the game together, I will try to point it out so we can do it because if we do it in a game, it will reinforce it. They are both such great kids. They want to learn. They want to get better. It has been a lot of fun doing that.”

Thompson and Zeller have enjoyed playing with Walton this season. The veteran has been showing them how to be a facilitator and setting them up when they get open.

“[Walton is] fun,” Zeller said. “You know he is going to find you if you are open and he can make a lot of great plays. We have a lot of confidence in him that he can score, pass and defend. He is really a great all-around player.”

“He is a great passer,” Thompson said. “He keeps the offense flowing. He sees the court. He might not be the most athletic big guy or the tallest guy, but he is so smart that he knows where the ball needs to go, what works and what doesn’t work. We are blessed to have him on our team.”

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“It’s awesome,” Walton said. “Obviously losing is very hard, but just being back out there on the court and being able to help some younger players, now having the opportunity to play again and play the way basketball is meant to be played with sharing the ball and passing, I am having a blast right now.”

ICYMI of the night: Before we all get a little too excited over the Lakers’ three-game win streak, let’s not forget there are still more kinks to work out … as this play below illustrates:

55 Comments

WHAT I REALLLY DONT GET WITH THE LAKERS…WHY DA HECK WILL YOU HIRE A OFFENSIVE STYLE COACH WHEN YOU HAVE KOBE, DWIGHT, PAU, JAMISON, NASH…..LET NASH DO WHAT HE WANTS WITH THE BALL..THEY SHOULD OF HIRED ANOTHER DEFENSIVE COACH…THE LAKERS OFFENSE IS GOING TO BE THERE….UNTIL YOU START PUTTING HOWARD AND PAU ON THE ELBOW….STUPID STUPID STUPID

I have to feel for my fav player Rondo. I am in Australia and have herd of an experimental treatment used on a football player who torn his ACL, they used a donated Achilles’ tendon which is much stronger, which was then screwed in at each end. In an amazing short time of like 16 weeks the player was not only playing but scored a 90 meter try.

“Peterson suffered a torn left ACL and MCL injury on Christmas Eve in 2011, and was back on the field for the season opener in September – less than nine months after the injury.
…
Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose suffered a torn left ACL injury during the first round of the playoffs against Philadelphia on April 28th last year, with his return likely to be shortly after the all-star break next month.”

Why are you acting like D-Rose is coming back crazy quick? How about Iman Shumpert?!? – suffered the exact same injury as Derrick Rose on the EXACT SAME DAY, and he came back now TWO WEEKS AGO (and now he’s almost back to his usual top form) – D-rose is EXPECTED to come back AFTER the All-Star Weekend?!? – that’s at least a FULL MONTH after Shumpert returned….just sayin’, give props where props are due….

I donèt like Dantonis coaching style at all, but Pau does belong on the bench. Regardless of whats said in public, Kobe gets frustrated by Pau and its Kobe and Howards team. Pau is slow on defence (who isnt on the lakers though) His screens are by far a bigger joke the a canadian 5th graders…He gets in position and as soon as his team mate goes to use the screen Paus already rolled to the basket, itès by farrrr his worst quality. He doesnèt fit in L.A. but at this point who does…The lakers need a new coach and Gasol should not be complaining, unless its because he knows his trade value is dropping.
AS A TORONTO FAN I WILL BE FURIOUS IF HE JOINS THE RAPTORS!!!
+ – is good to go by in hockey…i wouldnt use it for basketball much

As decent as Paul Gasol is, he knows he wants to play more. I mean Kobe is finally getting everyone involved so Pau’s thinking we got this thing on track after all. But yeah, if I was him, I’d be mad at D’Antoni too.

If D’Antoni were to coach the Heat, chances are he will bench one of the 3 superstars just because he is D’Antoni. This is one coach that hasn’t won anything but acts as if he is Phil Jackson, Pop, or even Riley. This is a coach that almost got rid of Melo, and now he is on the verge of losing Pau because he is incapable of coaching players that don’t fit his system.

Funny how the point Pau was making was that he wants to win, yet pieces are pulled out to flip that interview around. Also since it was at the same time why not print D’antoni’s interview in which he explains why Pau was not in the game? You media guys always try to create drama.

D’Antoni is a horrible coach,his decision doesn’t fit the team.He let the team dig a big hole with his experiments sounds like a confused nutty professor,i hope they making the play-offs run but i know with D’Antoni coaching style they not gonna be at the finals that’s for sure! wtf he almost blow up the win against Hornets with his rotation experiments yesterday!I’m scared with this Mike,jim offered him a 3 year contract?That’s Kamikaze mission build by Jim,i wish the Lakers good luck with my heart!Oh Boy!

Mike NO D’ Antoni should thank Kobe for his change of game style. Yet, He talks to the media like it was his idea. It was KOBE’S MOVE NOT YOURS. The Chuckster would have been a better coach for the Lakers! Heck, even EJ would make a better coach than you! Hope the Lakers fire you as soon as possible. 15-20 record??? WHAT A JOKE! IT IS ON YOU COACH! Why did the Knicks fire you? Right YOU AIN’T GOOD!

Benching Pau Gasol? WHAT A BONE-HEADED MOVE!

And to the Lakers management Shame on you for Hiring this guy instead of Phil Jackson! Phil already said that he thought you had an agreement but guess what you left the best coach ever HANGING!

Regarding the gasol comments, one cannot but agree with him. Now i havent seen that many lakers games this year howerver i do feel that if a system is good enough it should allow the best players to participate (and be effective) in it, not for them to sit on the bench that’s not the point of a system.

If you caught the games when Gasol was starting and compare them to the last few with him coming off the bench, you’d see how much better the team flows on both ends of the floor. It’s fairly similar to how things were with Odom when he transitioned to the bench. The difference being that Gasol didn’t finish the game last night where as Odom usually did. It’s one game and Gasol should know that. If it keeps happening and the team loses because of it, then maybe he should speak up. But the chemistry and team play has improved greatly over the last few games, and Gasol coming off the bench is part of that – whether he likes it or not.

Your comment is the dumbest one yet. Blogs are here for people to make opinions. And the comments of the people here about D’Antoni being a bad coach for the Lakers and that Pau should get more playing will be supported by many experts. Owned much?

Rondo must have a hope !!!
– till the playoffs there’s some time – medicine nowadays can make great results , BUT – it depends olso on pacient’s willingness to recover- and he’s in like we see – at least he has to be there to organize the game itself !!!
Teammates must take a piece of his job to get to the basket as well – only then they will become as one piece – they showed it vs Heat !!! Teamplay rules!!!
He can make situations , so Celtics need more his brains/court vision – usually these type of things unite a team far much better than just words

I stand by Pau 100% on this one, He’s already been banished to the bench for the start of the game and now D’Antoni doesnt put him in during crunch time either? I’d be pissed off too. Especially since the Hornets came back on the Lakers, Pau had the highest point differential and was clearly on his way to a triple double yet he sat out the entire fourth. Bad coach. I would hate to see Pau go but I would like for hiim to be happy and play on a team that appreciates his work.

Earl Clark finished with 20 and 12. And Gasol was playing heavy minutes with the bench players, which probably helped his point differential. Granted, he probably should have played at the end of the game, but it’s not like his speedy transition defense (sarcasm) was going to put an end to the Hornets’ comeback. Regardless, he needs to stop publicly complaining and just let the season play out. The more disruptive he is, the more difficult he’s making things on his team.

D’Antoni isn’t really a competitive coach. That’s why he’s been out of NY . I was really surprised the Lakers signed him. He doesn’t know how to handle superstars. Should have gotten Jerry Sloan or Phil for that job.

I totally agree about Sloan or Phil but how Dantoni handles superstars isn’t the real issue. It’s that he’s a coach that has blinders on. Pau should have played more.
Just Pau: Lakers +18
Just Dwight: Lakers -16
Dwight+Pau: Lakers +3

The problem is Pau doesn’t space the floor, Metta does with his improved 3-point shooting. Pau is showing some improvements in his adjustments, but it’s still not a great flowing offense (or defense) when he’s on the floor as a starter – outside of a few really nice plays. The team has been playing better with him on the bench – look at the last few games and you’d have to agree.

the lakers would not have won any championships the last 5 years if it was not for Pau Gasol, he dominated Dwight Howard as well as Kevin Garnett in those two series, and what is the thanks he get?, 21 minutes of play and everybody putting hate on him, hah, i still love ray allen no matter if he moved to heat or not, come on, be a bit more suportive guys

“the lakers would not have won any championships the last 5 years if it was not for Pau Gasol, he dominated Dwight Howard as well as Kevin Garnett in those two series, and what is the thanks he get?”

Yeah, that’s Laker fans for ya. It’s the same treatment Shaq got when he was traded to Miami. It’s the LA Lakers, the “what have you done for me lately” franchise and their fans are the “so what if you won my team a ring, I’m a self entitled little girl of a sports fan” fanbase. Yet players still make it a top destination in free agency…I don’t get it.

So you thank him by playing him more even if he’s not fitting in well with the starters? You sacrifice winning to make sure he’s happy with his role and his minutes? If that’s how you thank a guy for his past contributions then every NBA team out there must have their priorities wrong.

But he played great in that game. Look at the stats. They lose without Gasol but they’d still have won without Howard in that game; it had nothing to do with past performance.
Just Pau: Lakers +18
Just Dwight: Lakers -16
Dwight+Pau: Lakers +3

Then by all means.Since he contributed 3 years ago lets keep him until his is 42.After all he contributed for a championship.

Who cares how well he played 3 years ago.What matters is how good one player plays now or will play in the future.If they find some1 with same money who will contribute more now and in the future they should ship him and thank him for his services.

On the other hand Mike D’antoni is clueless and everyone should blame him.Its his job to make the system work with what players he has.If he cant do it then ask for trades or gtfo.

In my opinion, Pau should be quiet. He doesn’t play defense, and also he’s very inconsistent offensively. To me, he should have already be traded. The lakers could use his salary and make better use of it.

Whiner!!! Gasol is the best big man on that team, and you won two straight championships thanks to many great play by Gasol….Remember the game winner basket against OKC? Maybe you are suggesting you get “better players” to see if you can make it to the 8th seed and face OKC in the first round

The team can also thank other players for their past contributions, it doesn’t mean those players are currently producing at a hight level. Past contributions and greatness mean nothing unless they apply to today. You don’t just play a guy because of what he did in the past, you play him for what he’s doing now. Right now Pau is playing well as a backup Center when he’s on the floor without Howard, and decently with Howard, but he’s not doing great when playing most of his minutes together with Howard. So it seems he’s being used pretty effectively. Maybe he could have played another 5 minutes last night towards the end, the point is, he shouldn’t be complaining about that. He’s beginning to complain about everything and it’s getting to be disruptive.

But it had nothing to do with past performance. Performance in that game dictated that Pau should have played more, but Dantoni didn’t listen. Pau was their best player on the floor getting people great looks.
Just Pau: Lakers +18
Just Dwight: Lakers -16
Dwight+Pau: Lakers +3

im tired of people saying he doesnt play defense! yes he does! he averages like 2 blocks and a steal and he is long and defends without fouling and has made a lot of memorable defensive plays with the lakers especially in the playoffs! so stfu

Regardless, Pau just needs to stay quiet already. Everyone knows he wants to start, he wants more minutes, he wants more touches, he wants to be in the game at the end to help close it out. Everyone wants to be able to contribute. But publicly complaining only causes more distractions at a time when they need to be focused. He needs to talk to the coach about it, not the media. He of all people should know that complaining to the public isn’t going to help, it’s only going to be more of a disruption.